


I See You

by levihantrashbucket



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Annie is Out of Her Crystal, Armin Has Missed Her, AruAni, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Longing, Reunited lovers, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 05:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16257620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levihantrashbucket/pseuds/levihantrashbucket
Summary: Sometimes she considers he’s above all of them





	I See You

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! The sentences in italics are Annie’s inner thoughts. I’m sorry if things are a bit jumbled I wrote this at 3 am, but I’m quite proud of it. Enjoy!

He made her feel sick and she didn’t like it 

When she came out of that crystal and fell to the ground, looking up at all the people she once trained alongside, she grimaced at the sight of a him. His big blue eyes wide and hopeful.  _ I killed your comrades she says in her mind, he nods, and she almost chokes. _ He always did see right through her, she wouldn’t be surprised if he could read minds like some sort of magician. 

“Annie Leonhardt, I am Hange Zoë the survey corps commander. Welcome back.” They all stare as if she’s a entertainer, putting on a show all for them.  

_ Fuck can I go back in that thing _

Cold cuffs held her hands together, he had recommended they just keep a close eyes on her, no need for cuffs he said; she won’t go anywhere. She knows he knows, and it makes her stomach churn.

They feed her and she welcomes it, her stomach has been empty for… however long she was in there. As she eats she scans the room, everyone seemed matured, their youthful gleam has become more silent, more suppressed. She wonders whose died since she’s been gone, and selfishly she’s grateful she was gone while it happened. 

He comes in after she is done showering, she smells like soap and her hair is dripping. Their hospitality has been overwhelming, and she thinks they might be preparing her for public execution. But as he steps in, smiling like some sort of old friend of hers, she knows she’s been taken care of because of him. It makes her feel pressure all over,  _ I have to be a good person to you she thinks.  _ He of course knows, like always. 

“Hello Annie. Do you feel alright?” His fingers are loose, and his posture shows he’s relaxed. _ I KILLED YOUR FRIENDS, she screams. It’s okay he says, you did what you had to. _

She looks away, her heart is beating fast, and a heat has leaked throughout her bloodstream, causing her to feel like a fever is coming. I’m sick she wants to say, seeing you makes me feel sick. 

“I’m fine. Do you need something?” It sounds harsh, she wants to slap herself. He’s kind of course, sitting across from her, gently smiling. It’s familiar, the way he treats her like she's a equal, like she was deserving of his fondness. 

_ I’m nauseous _

He scans her like she’s a place he’s trying to become familiar with again, she realizes he’s recalling the memories he has of her, placing the words he’s heard about her over the years to the actual face. You’re still beautiful he thinks, she feels warmth in her eyes. 

“You’ve grown up.” It’s true, his hair is shorter, his jaw is more defined, he holds experience in his shoulders, and the weight of death on his chest. He’s handsome, and she is starting to sweat.

“Ha, yes I have, I’m nineteen now. You’re still sixteen Annie, I am an older man.” The tone in his voice spits out confidence, and for a split second she’s sure he’s flirting with her. I killed your friends she says again, he shushes her. No more hurting, she has a strong urge to agree.

Forgiveness has taken on a form years ago she assumes, she can only wonder what he’s said to his peers to get them to not see her as a force to be reckoned with, an enemy with claws and sharpened teeth. She’s a monster in every sense, but he will not see her that way. She is a girl with dreams, and a father, she had a home once. This is what she’s sure he told them, because he knew her. He always did, and pity didn’t suit her well, but this was a time to sacrifice what we hold most dear. Her dignity didn’t matter anymore.

_ I see you to she says. _ But she can only hope to see him the way he sees her. Only hope to understand every crevice of his being, like he does hers; sometimes she considers he’s above all of them, and then she mentally slaps herself because he is above them. He is in the clouds and she is on the ground. 

“You’re not a bad person Annie.” His eyes are peering into hers. He’s reading her again, she wishes the pages would turn. It hurts everywhere she says and he cares about her, and she feels like she’s dying. 

“You cannot decide that Armin. For you I am not a bad person, for them I am. I have done wrong, my intentions do not matter. Not after so much death.” It’s the most serious thing she’s ever said, and suddenly she isn’t so selfish. It’s the first thing she’s done right in a long while, she remembers sparing his life more than once. She understands why he sees good in her, if anyone looks close enough they could see she is fragile, is easily torn at the seams, and she has wants and needs. I am a good person who has done horrible things, that is the definition she settles on. 

“Fine, I am good, and I am bad. Does that suit you?” She says it with a bite, he smiles and his eyes go soft. This is the girl he knew, this is the person Annie was. Rough but soft, kind but harsh. Her heart skips a beat, and falling for someone is difficult.

“Yes it does... I visited you a lot when you were gone.” He says suddenly. The revelation even shocks him, making his eyes go wide. She chokes on her saliva, masking it by coughing loudly and exaggeratingly. It’s so unlike her he laughs, and somehow she ends up joining him. Their chests rising and falling together. If anyone saw they’d be stunned because Annie was stone and Armin was silt.

_ I’ve missed you _

She raises an eyebrow and something resembling comfort washes over her. It’s a strange mixture, a jolt of confidence and an intense fondness.

“You really missed me huh Arlet?” She says, a bounce in her words. A smirk is on her on her lips and she is beautiful to him. His heart soars, Annie is home.

“Very much, please don’t leave again I looked crazy talking to a crystal all day long.” He laughs like a young boy, and suddenly he is sixteen again. She smiles a shit eating grin, and time stands still. 

“You make me sick Arlet.” Her tone is lighthearted, Armin understands. Both of their faces flushed, they look to the ground and then back to each other, their eyes more intense than before. 

“I’m glad you’re home Annie.” It’s been too long, and as silence fills the room they fall into each other. 

_ I’m glad to Armin  _

  
  
  



End file.
